I Don't Want To! by Sally Grindley

Illustrated by Carol Thompson. 26 p., Little, Brown, 1990.

Jim doesn't want to get up, put on his new clothes, eat breakfast, or, especially, go to school. His parents tell him that he'll like school, but, looking teary, he disagrees. He wants to go home all the way to school. When he gets to school, he doesn't want to paint, but it looks like fun, in spite of his attempts to ignore it. He decides to join in, and finds that he can't help enjoying painting and the other fun things that kids do there. When it's time to go home, his familiar refrain resumes -- he doesn't want to. But he's able to allow himself to want to go back to school the next day. This story might be a particularly good choice for a child who's in phase of saying No to everything and has expressed a wish to avoid school (without any particular concerns about separation), since it shows a transformation from this negativism to enjoyment of school.

Ages 2-5
Main character's cultural background: European American
Cultural context: multicultural

The Worry Stone by Marianna Dengler

Illustrated by Sybil Graber Gerig. 40 p., Rising Moon, 1996.

As this story begins, Amanda is an elderly woman, sitting on a bench at the park and recalling her childhood. She remembers her grandfather, and especially his stories. One of his special stories is about the origin of worry stones, which the author describes in a foreword as not an authentic Chumash tale, but one which she hopes is consistent with the spirit of the Chumash people. In Grandfather's story, worry stones are the tears of Tokatu, a woman whose husband has died immediately after their marriage. Death is described as being taken away by the Wind of Time. Grandfather says that whoever finds a worry stone will be comforted, no matter what troubles they have. The worry stone helps Amanda resolve her grief when Grandfather dies. The story returns to the park, where a sad-looking boy sits on the bench with Amanda. She gives him the worry stone, and begins to share Grandfather's stories with him, healing both the boy and herself. Children will understand that sharing treasures can forge connections that ease loneliness.

Ages 6-10
Main character's cultural background: European American
Cultural context: multicultural

When the Bees Fly Home by Andrea Cheng

Illustrated by Joline McFadden. 32 p., Tilbury House, 2002.

Sometimes, arbitrary expectations - from ourselves or others - can lead to overlooking our real talents. Such is the case for Jonathan, who tries to help his beekeeper father. Jonathan is slender and not particularly strong; even his little brother seems more muscular. He senses his father's disappointment in him. Jonathan also has a creative talent: he makes tiny sculptures from beeswax. When it occurs to him to decorate his mother's homemade candles with these, they sell more candles than ever before, making a huge economic contribution to their struggling family. Because of Jonathan's candle decorations, this family is going to be all right. With Jonathan, children can learn to celebrate their strengths, as well as understanding that it's possible to be a successful male without conforming to a gender stereotype - even one that may seem reasonable. Each page also includes facts about bees, and there is a resource list for insect information at the end.

Ages 4-8
Main character's cultural background: European American
Cultural context: multicultural

Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne

32 p., DK Ink, 1998.

Four gorilla characters tell their stories of a walk in the park - an intensely snobbish mother; her bored, sad son; a sad, unemployed father; and his daughter. Seeing the story from different perspectives exposes the mother's prejudice against the father and daughter - "rough-looking", "frightful types" - and their "scruffy," "horrible" dog. (And in case this doesn't make it clear, the girl refers to the mother as a "silly twit"). Her son's prejudice is against the girl, because she is a girl, but when he's played with her for a short time, he realizes she's "nice" and hopes to see her again. This story provides a lesson in empathy that can help kids move past others' exteriors.

Ages 7-10
Main character's cultural background: non-human
Cultural context: non-human

You Hold Me and I'll Hold You by Jo Carson

Illustrated by Annie Cannon. 32 p., Orchard, 1992.

In this story, a girl's great-aunt, whom she is not particularly close to, dies. The story shows the girl's attempts to come to terms with what death means by comparing the experience to the loss of her sister's hamster. The girl, her sister, and her Daddy attend the funeral at a church. At the funeral, she's surprised and worried to see her step-grandmother, Grandpa, and Daddy crying - she hadn't realized that adults cried. Being held on her Daddy's lap helps her feel better. This story honestly addresses the girl's distress that results from the grief of the adults around her.

Ages 3-7
Main character's cultural background: European American
Cultural context: European American

Loop the Loop by Barbara Dugan

Illustrated by James Stevenson. 32 p., Greenwillow, 1992.

Anne meets an old woman in a wheelchair, Mrs. Simpson, and they become friends, visiting the park together and playing games inside when it rains. Mrs. Simpson, who is suffering from dementia, is an expert at yo-yo tricks and an enthusiastic singer. Anne quietly buys a yo-yo and learns to do tricks with it. After a hip fracture, Mrs. Simpson moves to a nursing home, and her caregiver gives Mrs. Simpson's cat to Anne. Anne visits Mrs. Simpson, bringing the cat and her doll, Eleanor; she gives Eleanor to Mrs. Simpson. She delights Mrs. Simpson with yo-yo tricks. Anne shows children a way to cope with an older friend's dementia.

Ages 7-10
Main character's cultural background: European American
Cultural context: European American:

One of Us by Peggy Moss

Illustrated by Penny Weber. 32 p., Tilbury House, 2010.

Fitting in can be a complex and difficult process for children, and seems to be a concern at earlier and earlier ages. In this empathic, upbeat story, Roberta faces this difficulty when she enters a new school. She finds her new classmates very accepting - lots of kids tell her that she's "one of us." The only problem is, being "one of us" means being "the same" in very limited ways. For example, Roberta likes to play on the monkey bars, and she makes friends there with other children who have the same interest. But when she tries to eat lunch with them, they tell her that she has to eat with the kids whose lunchboxes look like hers. It seems as if whenever she has one attribute that allows her to fit in, something else about her leads kids to reject her. In spite of this, Roberta stays true to herself; for example, when a group who claims her rejects monkey bars, she follows her own natural inclination to play on them anyway. In spite of this, as the day goes on, Roberta feels more and more confused. Will she ever fit in? Finally, she meets Anna, "a trumpet-playing girl who likes baseball and car racing and ballet." Anna's friends have diverse interests, too. Not only that, but Anna values the differences among her friends! At last, Roberta has truly found her place. Reading this story, children can expand their ideas about what it means to fit in, and can find ways to fit in and still be themselves fully.

Ages 6-11
Main character's cultural background: ambiguous; perhaps African American, Latina, or European American
Cultural context: multicultural